Dolls
by FawnTheFox
Summary: Luffy had been a slave for most of his life. So long that he had lost his personality and his free will. He was simply a living doll in the Celestial Dragon's hands. That is until he meets Ace who sees something in him that everyone else missed. Ace promises to save Luffy no matter what, even if it means defying the Celestial Dragons themselves.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is a story idea I have had for a while and I am finally doing it! Its part of three ideas I have. The first Idea is for the Straw hats to get transported back in time and meet child Luffy Ace and Sabo. They accidentally mess up the timeline and things escalate from there. The other one is a zombie apocalypse AU because there are never enough of those. Anyway the plan was to write and three and see what one flows the best! I am not sure if this is going to become a whole fic or just be a one-shot but I was just going to see what happened.** **(Also I have to apologize in advance I'm really tired right now but I can't go to bed until I finish this.**

 **Official Summary:** **Luffy had been a slave for most of his life. By now it had become second nature to him. Such thing like emotion, relationships and conversations were unattainable concepts for him. He was nothing more than an empty shell used for whatever purpose the Tenryuubito saw fit. That is until he meets Ace. On an errand for whitebeard the two accidently meet and instantly bond. Its hard work but eventually Luffy starts to regain the personality and humanity that was taken from him. But it's never that easy and Ace soon finds himself caught up between disobeying his father's orders, the person who saved him or abandoning Luffy.**

Luffy stared out the window expressionlessly. The sun had yet to rise leaving the sky dark and grey. Moody clouds covered the early morning stars leaving only blankness in its place. It looked like it was going to rain today. A flash of emotion crossed his face as he imagined its feeling on his skin, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Loud sounds from the ballroom floated into the hallway but he ignored them. The Tenryuubito who owned him were hosting an elaborate dinner party. He had been up two nights preparing and cleaning. And now that it was here he was expected to stay up all night to work there. Although slaves were conditioned never to show emotion or human needs he was exhausted. He didn't think he could keep it hidden any longer.

"Hey little boy come here."

He turned around to see two drunk nobles stumble down the hallway. It was an order, he could tell that much. Still he stayed in his spot near the window. This only angered the drunk couple further as they fumbled over to him spilling their drinks in the process.

"What the hell, when we give you an order you follow it." The women screeched slapping him clumsily. Although considering how drunk she was the blow slid off easily.

"Can you understand us?" The man yelled at Luffy. He spoke slowly and loudly as if speaking to a foreigner with limited language skills.

Luffy merely blinked at them, his big brown eyes empty.

"I don't think he can understand us." The man told his wife, still yelling.

She made cooing sounds as she ruffled his hair, acting as if he was a small pet. A sharp contrast towards her angry pose a minute ago.

"Look, he's so cute."

The man scoffed, "You must have drunk way too much, he's a slave remember. There not supposed to be cute, their just there."

She made a face imitating a spoiled child, "but all of ours are old and gross. I want a cute little one like this."

"To do what with?" He threw his hands up in the air staggering a bit in his drunkenness.

"We can probably think of something's." She said leaning closer to him with a flirty smile.

Luffy toned them out instead staring at the wall beyond them. It was going to rain, he was almost sure of that. He doubted the sun was going to rise at all today. That was too bad.

All the higher class lived on top of hill, their elaborate mansions shoved together up here so they could look down on the town. Far below them the poor town's people struggled, scraping together whatever resourced the Tenryuubito didn't take for themselves. It was kind of weird to think about. They were dying of starvation while only a mile away the nobles had so much food they were literally burning it.

In front of him the noble couple fell onto the ground, drunkenly making out.

"What are you doing out here? "A shrill voice demanded. It was the slave station manager, Luffy could never remember his name. Not like he ever tried. Ignoring the drunk couple on the ground he yanked him along by his slave collar. To Luffy's dismay he led him back to the ballroom. It was packed with sweaty rich people and smelled heavily of alcohol. The music made his ears ring.

He was shoved roughly against a wall as his collar was hooked up to a leash tied around the pillar. Ensuring there would be no escape for him now. He did as he was told sitting back against the wall gazing emptily at the crowed ahead. Occasionally a noble would come up to him pinching his cheeks and squealing in surprise when they stretched further than ordinary. It made no difference to Luffy what they did, after all why should it.

"Hi there."

He wondered if it had started raining yet. Maybe the clouds would never go away, they were stuck there forever. That was a scary thought.

"HI THERE!" Spoken a little louder this time causing Luffy to look up surprised.

In front of him stood a young man, teenager probably, Luffy had no idea what qualified as ages. He had chin length black hair and a splatter of freckles across his nose. What really made him stand out were his clothes. While most people were dressed elegantly and appropriately he wore only boots, black shorts and an orange hat. And unlike the other people in this room he didn't seem to be so drunk he undressed himself. In fact he didn't seem drunk at all. He crouched down leaning back onto his heels in front of Luffy giving him a big grin.

"What are you up to?"

Luffy blinked at him confused. Who was he expecting a response from? There was no one around him. After a few moments of silence he spoke again directly at Luffy.

"My names Ace, what's yours?"

Luffy blinked, this time however clearing out the vacant look in his eyes. He was starting to get the uncomfortable feeling he was supposed to do something.

"Not much of a talker huh?" The man continued, "That's okay, luckily for us I can do the talking for both of us." He grinned crookedly at Luffy. "Jump in any time you feel like it." Maneuvering his body he leaned up against the wall next to Luffy. He turned as far as his leash would let him, still confused what this man was going. Did he not know Luffy was a slave? Maybe he was confused?

"This is some party isn't it? Although you look a little bored, I guess when I was a kid I didn't like things like this either. I still don't" He laughed making Luffy jump. Despite all the riches they surrounded themselves with, they didn't tend to laugh very often. Unless it was at other people's misfortune. As the man continued to carry on his one sided conversation Luffy's attention once again began to wonder. The attention was no longer on him, this was back to where he was comfortable with. Outside he could hear the distant rumble of thunder brewing overhead. It sounded close, he wondered if lighting could strike a Tenryuubito's house or if it was too scared. He had heard once that whenever it got really close they made a slave go up there and try to get struck instead to protect the house.

Without warning the man leaned over and flicked his forehead. Luffy was use to pain but turned his attention back anyways. Pain and abrupt actions were a sign the person wanted Luffy to look at them despite if he was listening or not.

"I was losing you there," The man laughed, but quieter than last time. "Try to stay in present okay? You look like you were a million miles away." He sighed, "Let's try something else, I say something and you nod yes or no."

Once again Luffy fidgeted uncomfortably. It felt like was expected to do something in response. Was this man actually talking to him? Even worse Luffy didn't know how to respond. The first rule of slaves was that they were to stay quiet. If this guy got frustrated would Luffy get into trouble? Fearing the worst he did something he hadn't done in a while. He focused on the man's lips furrowing his brow slightly as he tried to pay attention to what he was saying, stop tuning the words out like he usually did.

"This way you don't have to listen to my endless prattle." He stared expectantly at Luffy.

It was no use, he had no idea what he was supposed to do. What did prattle mean?

However Ace didn't seem angry in the slightest, instead he reached over and gently placed his hands on either side of Luffy's head forcing him to shake his head up and down and then left and right. "See there you go?"

That confused him even further, he didn't see anything.

"This party is pretty boring isn't it?" He stared at Luffy expectantly.

Luffy bobbed his head figuring it was what the man wanted. Sure enough a huge grin broke out across his face as he gave him a thumbs up.

"It smells too much like alcohol in here don't it." He asked crinkling his nose as he stared around at all the drunk party dwellers.

Luffy nodded automatically this time in actual agreement. He hated the smell, it was disgusting and it made people act strange. Without thinking he leaned in closer to him taking a quick sniff . He didn't smell like alcohol, instead he smelt like warmth and meat. He smelt good, Luffy decided.

He raised his eyebrow a smile quickly growing on his lips. "Were you smelling me for alcohol?" He looked amused more than anything.

Luffy didn't meet his eyes and instead stared down at the floor surprised at himself.

"Do you remember my name?"

He shook his head this time, trying out the alien gesture. He had sort of forgotten people had names. Or why they were important.

"It's Ace, Portgas D. Ace. Nice to meet you." He paused for a moment looking Luffy up and down. "And you look like a … Smokey to me." Ace laughed once again at the bazar look Luffy shot him. He put his hands up in surrender, "Okay, defiantly not a Smokey. So what is your name?"

Luffy was unsure if this was a nodding situation or not so he simply remained silent. Ace seemed to understand as he stood up stretching.

"Come on lets go somewhere else, this place is too loud to think." He leaned over and unclipped his collar pulling Luffy to a standing positions. He swayed slightly on his feet as Ace steadied him.

He wasn't used to walking with someone else like this. Usually they just didn't seem to think him capable of walking himself so they would either drag him or if they were in a hurry they would just pick him up and haul him over. They would never tell him where they were going or why. One second he would be standing there and the next they would grab his arm and physically pull him over to where they wanted him to be.

This was different. Ace grabbed the hem of his shirt making sure they didn't get separated as the two of them narrowly squeezed between the intoxicated upper-class. He would occasionally elbow them out of the way if they didn't move fast enough making the corners of Luffy's mouth twitch.

But much to his dismay Ace stopped in front of one of the slave managers. He pointed to Luffy fighting to be heard over the pounding band in the background who had moved from classical to hardcore rock sometime around midnight. Without realizing it Luffy shifted closer to Ace, hiding partially behind his back to avoid the manager. If Ace noticed he didn't say anything.

"What's his name?"

"How should I know?"

"Look it up." Ace insisted as the violinist shattered his instrument behind them in a fit of artistic passion.

He grumbled but flipped through his sheets anyways. "It's Luffy."

Luffy jumped in shock hearing his name again. It had been so long he had almost forgotten it. He couldn't remember the last time it had come out of someone else's mouth.

"Cool thanks," Ace waved as he slipped his hand into Luffy's gently tugging him out from behind his back.

"Where are you going with him?" he man sputtered, "He is supposed to stay there for the rest of the night in case the nobles get bored."

"No way," Ace objected, "That sounds boring, care to stop me." He smirked dangerously at the manager, a very different smile then the one he showed Luffy. The man clearly knew something about Ace Luffy did not as he shrunk back offering no further protest.

Luffy tightened his grip on Ace's hand as the two of them slipped out of the ballrooms doors and into the empty hallways.

Breaking another record for tonight Luffy made a decision. He liked Ace.

 **Omg I have a final tomorrow and it's like 11 and I haven't started studying yet. But it's for I.B. English and this is kind of like studying right? Plus it's my best subject, cough cough bragging cough cough. But seriously I reserve the right to brag considering math, science, history, French, economics and digital are all my worst subjects! Yes ALL of them at the same time. Sorry (its finals week and I am super sleep deprived) anyways. I really hope people like it. I haven't decided yet if it's going to turn into a full blown story yet of just be a cute little ficlet but if anyone had a preference please tell me**

 **(Also I know I kept getting upper-class, nobles, and Tenryuubito mixed up but I honestly don't really know the difference and I am too lazy to look it up) Please review if you like it, it would make me so happy. Sorry if I kind of got off topic or the story sucks and is riddled with mistakes (like my usual story) I am running on like five hours of sleep every night this week. I will try to have the next chapter up soon.**

 **And Luffy might seem super weird how he's constantly talking about the weather but it's a metaphysical conceit (haha lit term I am studying) like and extended metaphor.**

 **-ooh I also wanted to mention luffy is super robot like right now but I promise he won't stay this way for very long**

 **-oh, also please tell me how old Luffy is! I was thinking Luffy 7 Ace 17**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! I hope this chapter isn't going to be boring. If it is I promise the next one will get better. I have to explain the situation and set up the plot first otherwise it will get a little confusing. I also have to retract what I said about their ages. Since Luffy is going to be this stories driving force more so than Ace, I eventually need Luffy to get older. So the ages are going to be Luffy-10 and Ace-17 (watch as I make it all official below) I can honestly say I have no idea where this story is going. I really need to figure that out. Also I feel like the content of this story is going to get a little more mature then I originally intended it to be. (Ie a plethora of cussing, darker imagery, torture, sexual themes and drug use).**

 **.**

 **Luffy-10 Ace-17**

Ace glanced over at Luffy in concern, the little boy still hadn't said one word to him. Although his demeanor did greatly improve the further away they got from the ballroom. Ace honesty couldn't blame him, he hated that stupid room just as much. These prissy stuck up people had no idea how to throw a party. Now pirates on the other hand, they were notorious partiers.

He glanced around at the decorated hallways and walls suddenly feeling claustrophobic. He desperately wanted to get out of here, but the inhibitor collar on Luffy prevented him from leaving the building. If he went too far out of his boundary it would detonate. The thought made the fire just below his skin squirm angrily. What sort of depraved monster would do this to a kid? Ace sighed forcing himself to calm down before his body temperature began to rise. The answer went without saying.

"Hey Luffy, I have an idea." The little kid stopped to look up at him curiously.

Without warning Ace reached down and lifted Luffy onto his shoulders. Surprised all he could do was hang on as Ace broke out into a run. He led them through the twisted hallways until he found the stairwell. Despite how huge the mansion looked on the outside it was even bigger on the inside. He must have ran up at least 20 flights of stairs before finally coming to the attic level. One of his hands wrapped around Luffy protectively as the other heled him climb to ladder onto to the roof.

The darkened sky was grey and brooding and seemed to stretch on forever. Somewhere in the distance he could hear lightning. Way out across the island where the land seemed to meet the clouds there was a small strip of sky glowing orange with the light of the rising sun.

Stepping outside onto the slanted roof he carefully set Luffy down beside him. He almost laughed at how big his eyes had grown.

"Has it been a long time since you were let outside?"

Luffy nodded enthusiastically as he took in the surroundings.

Ace for his part could only imagine what that would be like. He had been raised outside, grew up in the forests and slept under the stars whenever he felt like it. He didn't know what he would do if someone tried to take that away from him.

"Okay Luffy." He said sitting down, "Here's your chance to say something. Nobody will hear you up here."

Luffy blinked at him confused.

"Whatever you want to say, surely there must be something right?" Ace didn't doubt it had probably been years since Luffy had last talked, but he had faith the kid knew how too. He bet in some parallel universe he was quite the chatterbox.

Luffy opened his mouth then closed it unsure. "Ace?" He finally said after a moment. His voice was soft and gave out slightly.

Still Ace beamed feeling pride swell up in his chest. He felt like an overprotective father who just watched their kid take their first step.

"And your name is…"

"Luffy?" The little boy said almost as if asking Ace if he was correct. Ace cheered throwing his arms up into the air in celebration. He could see the boy's cheeks turn just the tiniest bit red at the praise.

"So Luffy? How did you end up being a slave?" Luffy turned and blinked at Ace, clearly not understanding the question. As far as he was concerned he was a slave, there was no other alternative. Thinking back it was nearly impossible to imagine a time when he was anything else. A memory tugged painfully at his heart as if demanding to be remembered. But the harder he tried the further away it became.

Ace watched Luffy struggle as hints of emotions flickered over his face. Years of training and conditioning had turned Luffy into a complacent doll. He was exactly what the nobles wanted, a lifeless doll. Something less then human who obeyed orders without thought. Up until now they must have believed they had succeeded in breaking him.

Ace however disagreed. Luffy wasn't broken, he was far from it. In order to stay alive his personality had been suppressed. He had been treated like an animal for so long his mindset had shifted to perceive himself that way. But throughout it all Luffy managed to stay defiant. Unlike the other slaves who followed their masters orders Luffy refused to obey. He shut them out refusing to bow to them or their ridicules orders. What others saw as simply a complacent slave Ace recognized it as rebellion. He was sure with a little encouragement his true personality would resurface. And Ace would be there to watch the whole glorious event unfold. He could already see their faces, blotchy and red with anger as Luffy told them to go stick it, or hopefully something to that effect.

Ace turned to look at Luffy realizing he was probably getting ahead of himself. Before that could happen Luffy had a long way to go. Maybe his time spent with the Tenryuubito wouldn't be as boring as he initially thought.

 **WHATDIDTHECOWSAYTOTHECAR?MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEOVER (I think I'm pretty funny)**

The next day proved to be a difficult one for the poor hung over nobles. Ace watched them trying his hardest not to laugh as they stumbled about snapping at their attendants and leaning heavily against the walls as if the world was about to cave in. Personally Ace was no stranger to hangovers, none of the Whitebeard pirates were. They knew how to party harder than anyone in the entire ocean. Still he felt no pity for these pathetic people. They were given more freedom than anyone else in the whole world, yet the squandered it. They didn't know the first thing about what the government had given them or how people murdered each other just for a taste of what they had. None of them had to earn it and thus they couldn't truly understand it.

"Ace sir, the Tenryuubito will see you know." Ace looked up as one of the slave' entered the room. She was stuttering badly clearly frightened of him, and his vast reputation as a pirate. Every time she moved the chains attached to her ankles rattled loudly, echoing off the empty walls.

Ace frowned at the thought of what he was attempting to do. If Oyaji hadn't ordered him to be here there is no way he ever would have associated with these people. But he owed that man his life, even if it meant being forced to negotiate with the scum of the earth.

"Lead the way." He said with mock enthusiasm as he followed her through the maze of hallways. At first he tried to keep track of the turns and corridors they went down but soon it turned into a big blur and he quickly gave up.

Eventually they ended up in a huge stone chamber with high arched ceilings. A single man sat at the center of it on an elaborate throne. He was clearly quite old and exceedingly stuck up considering he had built himself a throne room. He ushered for Ace to come closer which he eventually did, while holding back a glare.

"You must be the second division commander Whitebeard mentioned." He spoke without looking Ace in the eye. Instead his gaze was fixed sternly at a point just above his head. As if Ace wasn't worthy of his full attention.

"I must be." Ace agreed trying to hold back his sarcasm.

"Did you enjoy the party?"

As part of Whitebeards agreement Ace had attended last night's fiasco strictly on his orders. The deal was that if the Whitebeard pirates would do a simple favor for him they would release all of their slaves and instead hire indentured servants. As great as that would be Ace had reservations. The nature of the favor had yet to be determined. Whatever it was the government clearly couldn't do it for them. This most likely meant it was nothing good. Ace was sent to act as Whitebeards ears and report back to him which action they should take. On one hand pirates rarely associated with Tenryuubito mainly because they saw criminals such as pirates beneath them. Still the opportunity to free slaves and piss off the government was not one to be taken lightly. At the very least Whitebeard could listen to the proposal. And thus, Ace was stuck staying with his least favorite people in the universe.

"Yes, I saw many interesting people." He responded after a moment of careful thought. "Now about that favor?"

The Tenryuubito put up his hand to stop Ace. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, there is plenty of time to talk about that later, why don't you stay with us for a while and observe."

Ace's gaze shifted to the floor as he had to physically bite his tongue to keep himself from asking the man why he didn't go stuff his head up his ass instead. Then again, with what he assumed to be a giant stick already up there, he doubted there was any excess room.

Taking Ace's silence as a good sign the man continued. "It would give you a chance to get acquainted with the family."

That was quite possibly the last thing on earth Ace felt like doing. But he owed Whitebeard big time, how could he refuse an order from his captain. At the very least it would give him more time to get to know Luffy and begin unraveling the faulty persona.

"Wow, how can I possibly argue that?" He asked forcing a laugh. It came out as more of a pathetic squeak but the Tenryuubito hardly seemed to notice. The double meaning was quickly lost.

"I knew you would see it my way." A slave will come show you to your room.

'He must really want Pop's help if he is being nice to me?' He thought to himself as he turned away. Rather than waiting for a slave he decided to wonder around himself.

He had been here less than a day and he had already gathered Slaves weren't allowed to walk around freely. Either they tottered around with chains on their ankles carrying out mundane tasks, or even worse they were shackled to a wall and left there.

Ace saw both kinds as he explored the grounds. The frantic ones hurrying to carry out their assigned chores, or the ones who lay against the wall their dead eyes no longer reflecting the world around them. It made Ace shutter as he passed them. Even if they did manage to rescue them he doubted they would be able to have normal lives again.

He continued on, refusing to admit he was lost. It didn't really matter in the long run. He doubted his position in the giant mansion could lesson his hatred. Making his way further into the depths of the house to his surprise Ace saw a familiar face.

Luffy sat on a large wooden table seemingly in the corner of the room. His ankle was shackled to the table leg, and unlike the party it was locked instead of clipped. Ace was about to make his way over there when he heard footsteps approaching.

Figuring his goalless snooping would not be considered witty and charming he instead opted to duck behind the stone pillar to wait out the intruder. Unfortunately for him it was not another slave, instead it appeared to be an actual worker, payed to keep the slaves in order. Ace considered himself an active hater of these types of people as well. Not only did they choose to support human slavery, they tended to be power hungry and sadistic. To Ace's horror he stopped in front of Luffy an amused smirk on his face. Leaning as far forward as he dared Ace held his breath.

Still Luffy's gaze did not shift, his stare was as blank as it was last night. Good to know yesterday's lessons had already been forgotten. His eyes did not see the slave master in front of him, instead they looked right through him.

Seeing this the man waved his hand in front of Luffy's eyes trying to get a reaction from the little kid. He clearly did not like being ignored. When Luffy still did not respond he got frustrated slapping the little boys hard across his cheek.

"What are you so fixated on?" He demanded grabbing the little boys chin. "I order you to pay attention to me." When Luffy didn't respond or show any indication that he had even heard the man got angry.

He grabbed a candle from the wall while grabbing Luffy's jaw firmly with his free hand tilting it to the side.

"This will teach you to ignore me." He muttered angrily.

Ace sensed his intentions the second the wax spilled over. He charged from his hiding place and knocked the man to the floor with a single hit. The man screamed in pain when the candle fell hitting him on his palm. Ace scoffed at him in disgust giving him a light kick to his ribs.

"That will teach you to pick on children."

The man stared at him wide eyed before picking himself up and fleeing into the corridor and away from Ace. He clearly wasn't used to people standing up to him, Ace doubted he could handle a fraction of the punishment he so carelessly doled out.

Letting his anger to seep out of him he turned back to Luffy. As gently as he could he brushed the wax off his cheek frowning as Luffy refused to respond. He could see why the Slave master got so enraged. That glassy stare was creepy as hell and it sent chills down Ace's spine. It was almost like Luffy was just a delicately made toy.

"Luffy, it's me." He said softly as he knelt down next to the boy not daring to touch him.

After a few seconds Luffy blinked as the focus came back into his eyes. He stared at Ace for a second while his surroundings fell into place.

"Ace?"

"Welcome back to reality." Ace said as a his mouth twisted into a relived smile.

 **That started off pretty boring, sorry. I promise next chapter will be much more exciting. Thankfully I finally have an idea where this story is going to go! But I was right when I said it is going to get pretty dark. But it is also going to be super cute with lots of Luffy and Ace. Also if Ace comes off like he would rather use Luffy to annoy the nobles instead of helping him that is only because it's true. As much as Ace feels for Luffy they are still strangers and even though he plans on protecting him he might not always have Luffy's best interests at heart, YET! As the story progresses he will start to care much more about Luffy's wellbeing and put him above annoying the nobles. But that being said he still defiantly hates seeing people hurt/mistreat Luffy.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Merry Christmas! I defiantly had a fun holiday. Thanks to everyone who is reading my story! I have done something I have never done before! I made an outline, except this time I am actually going to follow it! It is going to be around 25 chapters and there is a three year time skip after chapter 8 making Luffy-13/14-ish and Ace-20. I was also right about the dark themes/mature content. Anyways thank you guys so much for reading it.**

After separating from Ace Luffy had quickly been grabbed by the Tenryuubito's son. A stupid and over grown lard of a man, who seemed to think the entire world was his dollhouse. He favored Luffy over the other slave children because Luffy didn't break. His rubber body kept him intact no matter how rough the Tenryuubito was with him.

He was annoyed however, that Luffy had seemingly vanished from the party. Thus he was the one who tethered him here, trapping him against the wall. Still it was nothing out of the ordinary for him. Luffy simply sat staring ahead at the brick wall imagining it was the sky Ace had shown him last night.

Beautiful, star streaked and infinite. Luffy hadn't seen the sky in years, but it was just as vast and amazing as he remembered. No matter how cloudy it was the stars managed to shine through. Below it the ocean reflected its blackness, the rising suns light just barley reflecting on it blackened depths.

At the back of his mind he recognized a slave master making his way over to him. His mouth was moving meaning he must be saying something, but Luffy honestly didn't care. He continued to imagine to sky and the sea, searing every detail into his mind. Despite his best effort in a few months the picture would fade. Then he would have no choice but to go back to imagining and speculating the weather, imagining what the sky looked like at that moment. If he was lucky enough he might be able to make it to another window as he had at the party. The temptation had been enough for him to disobey orders and leave his place.

Still, the windows in a noble mansion were narrow and limited. They showed only what the nobles wanted them to, and blocked out anything they didn't want to see. Luffy wanted to see the whole thing as he had last night. To lay out under them and feel comforted by all the stars in the sky.

A sharp burning pain on his cheek threatened to tear him out of his thoughts but he fought against it.

"Luffy it's me."

He blinked as the image dissolved around him as he recognized his name being spoken allowed. He focused on the figure in front of him recognizing it instantly.

"Ace?"

The man before him smiled as relief flooded his face. "Welcome back to reality."

The confused him a bit, he had been here the whole time hadn't he? Why was Ace welcoming him back when he was the one who had just gotten here?

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Ace and Luffy turned their heads to look at the newcomer. The Tenryuubito's son, Luffy realized with a sinking feeling as he stomped towards them. He stopped in front of Ace crossing his arm menacingly. Or he tried to, but with such a dorkey appearance he looked more comical then anything.

"That's mine." He said as if Ace had been playing with his toys without his permission.

Ace raised his eyebrow, his expression torn between amused and annoyed. He could undoubtedly take this man down with any one of his fingers alone, but as much as he would like to that wasn't in the cards.

"Luffy." He offered instead.

The nobles frowned stupidly as he was confused. "What?"

"His name is Luffy." Ace said patiently.

It was Luffy's turn to be confused. Why was Ace telling the noble, he didn't care? Ace was wasting his time. If there was one thing this noble hated it was being confused which was unfortunate because he was overly stupid. He watched as the overweight teenager pushed past Ace and made his way to Luffy, unlocking him from the wall.

"I don't like that name." He grunted as he wrapped his meaty palm around Luffy's small underweight ankle, dragging him roughly from the table and onto the floor. Without looking back the noble dragged Luffy away, clearly trying to get away from him.

Luffy twisted slightly so he could look back at Ace. A small part of him wanted him to run after them and save Luffy, like he did that night. But he quickly pushed the thought from his mind, this was different. Not even Ace would dare to defy these people, they were far too powerful.

Still Ace's lips were moving with no sound coming out. Luffy struggled to understand what he was trying to tell him.

'Come find me afterwards.'

Luffy nodded before the noble yanked him around a corner and out of sight.

 **JKJKJKJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJKJKJKJKJKJKJKRJKRJKJKJKJKJKKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKKKJKJKjKJKJKJKJKJKKJKJKJKJKJKHKHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHKKKKKKKKKKKKKKHKHKHKHKHK**

He had been exceedingly rough, he always was. After the noble had taken Luffy away he dragged him to his room, a vast place full of broken toys and the occasional dead eyed servant, being Luffy in this case. He used Luffy as another toy waiting to be played with, tying him to his bed post and having his other toys rescue him in time. Every failed rescue attempt resulted in tightening the ropes painfully.

But no matter how hard he tried Luffy refused to talk to him or even look at him. Finally he gave up and tottered off to bed, not even untidying him.

Luffy puffed his cheeks out in resentment glaring at the sleeping form. The ropes were painfully tight and made it hard to breath. A normal person would have passed out by now. Thankfully the noble wasn't very good at practical things such as tying knots. They were sloppy and loose, in a place easily accessible to Luffy.

It took him about half an hour to get one arm free, and another hour trying to reach a sharpened toy to saw his way through the rest. But finally he managed to free himself enough to slip out of the ropes and slid out of the room.

He stared down the abandoned hallway thoughtfully. It was very late now, he doubted Ace was still awake. As much as he wanted to sleep he didn't want to be alone. Usually he would have stayed tied up until the noble let him go in the morning. The punishment for disobeying was never a gentle one. But this time Luffy was willing to risk it. He didn't want to have to stay in that room all night struggling to breath, he wanted to go find Ace, the only person who had showed him kindness.

With his mind made up he slipped down the hallway breaking into a run towards the guest rooms.

Eventually he had found it, only because Ace had left a note on the door for him. Instead of words that he couldn't read there was simply an untalented sketch of last night's cloudy sky.

Luffy hesitated for a moment before standing on his tip toes to open the door which to his relief was unlocked. He crept inside careful to close the it behind him.

Ace was sitting on the chair leaning back, he was preoccupied with a snail phone so much so that he didn't even notice Luffy.

"Yea, he's making me stay here longer, he refused to tell me what the favor was." He sighed as he ran his free hand through his hair.

"I hate these people, their all insane. Why on earth did pops send me? I have no tactical patience or subtleness."

Not knowing what he was talking about Luffy crawled onto the bed laying on his stomach, waiting for him to finish.

Ace turned surprised, his face quickly broke out into a smile as he spotted Luffy.

"Hey Thatch, I'll call you back later okay."

Luffy watched him carefully as he hung up the phone. He didn't seem mad at the intrusion. Instead he joined Luffy on the bed leaning up against the post.

"Hey! How did it go?"

Luffy made a face remembering how bored and uncomfortable he was, he hated it.

"Are you okay, you're not hurt right?"

Worry flickered in the older boys grey eyes further confusing him. Luffy hadn't been asked that in a long time.

Unsure how to respond he grabbed his cheek stretching it and letting it snap back to normal. He watched amused as Ace's eyes went wide with surprise.

"You ate a devil fruit?"

Luffy nodded.

"And now you stretchy."

He nodded again backing up slightly unsure what Ace would do. To his surprise he did nothing but smile pleased for whatever reason at the revelation.

"I guess that means you must be pretty tough then."

Before Luffy could respond Ac's snail phone rang and he jumped up to catch it.

"Sorry, Luffy, I have some work to do, do you mind waiting?"

Luffy shook his head resting him head on his hands as he lay back down. He liked Ace's room, it was warm and safe. He watched as Ace made calls to different people discussing things Luffy didn't understand; plans, alliance, double crossing, risks. In the end he just tuned it out, instead choosing to rest on the big bed feeling a strange sensation of fullness despite how hungry he was.

Luffy hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep until a movement on the bed woke him up. He twisted around to look up at the older male to see if he was angry. But Ace wasn't even paying attention. Instead he was blowing out the candles and flopped besides Luffy exhausted.

Sensing owlish eyes on him he turned to look at the younger boy, meeting his gaze fully.

"What?"

Luffy frowned trying to form a sentence in his mind, something he hadn't done in a very long time. "Why are you being nice to me?" He finally asked, carefully pronunciation every syllable correctly.

Ace smirked as he sat up suddenly, excited by the number of words. It was the most Luffy had spoken since meeting him. "I told you, you're the coolest person here Lu. Why would I want to waste my time talking to the stuck up nobles? Or that creepy slave master who sulks around."

Luffy had to smile at that, he hated the slave master just as much as Ace did. He sent a shiver down Luffy's spine every time he saw him.

"Your braver then all of them combined." Ace promised him, "One day everyone will see that."

They were silent for a moment each lost in their own thoughts until Ace sat up, suddenly serious. "But you need to listen to me Luffy, you have to stop zoning out so much. It just makes it easier for everyone to walk all over you. Plus it creeps me out."

Luffy tilted his head not quite understanding what he was talking about.

"I know things might get tough sometimes." Ace continued, trying to explain it to him. "But you need to stick with it. You have to stay here in the present with all of us, or you are going to miss a lot of things. Even though some of it is bad it's not always going to be. Sometimes you have to do what you want, raise a little hell and mess with them, show everyone you're a real person not a toy."

He blinked his eyes at Ace as he slowly got what he was trying to tell him. He sat up crawling over the bed to where Ace lay and snuggled against his side. He could feel Ace tense up at the sudden contact before relaxing.

For the first time Luffy wondered if Ace might be just as broke as he was, he was just better at hiding it from the world.

"I promise." He said as he closed his eyes. For the first time in a long time he felt safe and warm. The horrid feeling of loneliness that usually came along with darkness was being kept at bay. Someone was here to break its defining silence.

Unbeknownst to Luffy as he slept soundly Ace lay awake. He stared in amazement at the small child snuggled into his side. He felt a strange emotion tug painfully at his chest. It took him a second to recognize it as protectiveness. He once again felt the urge to grab the sleeping child in his arms and run as far away from here as he could. But that was impossible.

Ace thought back to when he last slept with someone like this. Once upon a time he and Sabo had slept besides each other, the steady breathing of his brother had been enough to lull him back to sleep even after the most brutal of nightmares. He hadn't realized just how much he missed this. Without realizing what he was doing Ace shifted to his side wrapping his arms securely around the sleeping child. He smiled as he too drifted off to sleep, more peaceful then he had been in quite some time.

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"Are you even listening to me?"

"No." Luffy told the guard honestly.

His face turned bright red with anger as he raised his arm to hit the insolent child. But instead of ducking he stood still. When the fist flew by him he camped down his mouth, biting down on the guards hand with a sickening snap.

The man cried instinctually jerking back, trying to force Luffy to let go. Luffy only bit down harder not wanting to get beat again. It wasn't his fault this guy was being so boring.

It had been nearly two weeks since he had made that promise to Ace. He hadn't been perfect, Luffy still had a hard time staying in reality. But he had gotten much better. As he had promised he 'raised a little hell,' at every opportunity.

So even when the guard dragged him (still clinging to his hand like a leech) down to the punishment cells and threw him in, Luffy didn't panic. Because sure enough after a few hours Ace came to save him, just like he always did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the delay my computer was sent to the shop much to my horror! But its back now and only a little faulty. Thank you so much for all the favorites on my story it makes me so happy!**

 **SEllen23: Thank you! I will defiantly try to get more chapters out.**

 **Beatreex: Thank you! I'm sorry I didn't end up making Luffy and Ace 7 and 17 but I think this way is better.**

 **AaliyaIronHeart: Its super fun to write! Ace is always so unfriendly and Luffy has such a hard time. But here Ace is the happier one and he has to try and save Luffy.**

 **Guest1: Thank you! I hope the story goes further.**

 **Poemado: Yay! I am so glad you like it! I have a lot of fun with their fluff and I like that they can feel safe even when surrounded by bad people.**

 **Guest: It is super dangerous for Luffy! And it is going to get so much worse for him. But he is a super strong person so I think he can handle it.**

 **Nala1220: Yay! thank you!**

 **WARNING! This chapter contains dark themes an unconsented drug overdose.**

Ace grinned wryly as he listened to Thatch chatting happily about life on the Moby, he was filling Ace in with everything that had happened in his absence. His happy voice came out loud and clear over the snail phone, the snail capturing his friend's facial expression in perfect detail.

It had been three months since he had accepted the assignment and against all odds the days had passed quickly. During that time he and Luffy had grown quite close. He spent all of his free time tracking down the little boy and freeing him from whatever obligation he had so the two could hang out together. So far Ace had taught him tag, hide and go seek, and charades, Luffy as it turns out was spectacularly bad at all of them except hide and go seek which he won without difficulty. But Ace honestly didn't care what they were doing, he just appreciated a friend, someone he knew he could trust, even if he had nothing to trust them with.

It was during this time that Luffy's vocabulary had sincerely improved. He only spoke to Ace, except to make small acts of rebellion to the guards. But he had come a long way and as it turned out Luffy was quite the talker when you got him going. It was sort of like opening Pandora's Box. The most memorable line being when Luffy had offered to help Ace find his shirt. Ace had declined through a fit of laughter as he explained to Luffy that he had not lost his shirt, he just simply didn't like shirts.

It wasn't just limited to talking. Luffy was making progress in other areas as well. For one thing he no longer hesitated to stand up to the guards, instead choosing to undermine their authority at every chance he got. Ace had guessed from the moment they met that Luffy didn't like taking orders from anyone. And as much as Ace enjoyed watching them get all flustered with anger, he was starting to reconsider telling Luffy to do that. Not a single act of rebellion had gone unpunished. And as much as Ace tried he couldn't be everywhere at once. For his part, Luffy was struggling to keep the promise he had made to Ace. Although the defiance was thoroughly entertaining and amusing immediately afterwards Luffy would zone out. Sure it was better than dealing with the punishments but Ace was still worried. That lifeless, empty expression scared him more than he was willing to admit and he couldn't bear to see it on the face of one so young and full of life.

"So did you find out what that old man wants from you?" Thatches voice anchored him back to reality.

"Y-yea…" He said after a moment of silence, focusing back on his friend. "It makes sense why they insisted I stay for so long. He wants me to steal a document from another Tenryuubito, the only one who is more powerful then himself. Doing this will allow him to steal the others title and wealth, albeit very gradually. But without the document he will have chance of proving his ownership." Ace sighed again, "Tenryuubito stuff, very complex."

Thatch snorted, "Freakin noble's man, and they won't hesitate to stab anyone in the back. You hate these people the most, I bet you can't wait to get out of there."

Ace paused for a moment thinking as a small smile crept over his face. "Actually I think I'll be okay to stay here for a little while longer, there's something I need to do first…"

About an hour later Ace found himself walking down the hallways as always looking for Luffy. The phone call had gone well. In the end Oyaji had agreed to the plan, promising to send over some help for Ace closer to the actual theft date. Ace was initially surprised the old man had agreed but less so when he heard the reasoning.

For one thing if they did this favor the Tenryuubito agreed to release his saves, hiring indentured servants instead. This would free hundreds of servants. It would also severely annoy the Navy which would be a plus. Showing both the government and the world just what kind of people ran the world.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand Ace glanced down the empty hallway, stopping the first guard he saw.

"Have you seen Luffy?"

"Who?"

"That little black haired boy."

"Oh…. Him."

Ace felt worry prick at his heart that he fought down with exasperation. "Yes him! Have you seen him?"

Again the guard avoided his gaze instead staring at the floor. "I think he acted out again."

Ace cussed under his breath cursing his luck. "So where did they take him?"

"I'm not sure." The man stumbled, "It was the slave master who took over punishment."

Ace cussed once more running off away from the nervous guard. No one was willing to face off against fire fist Ace if they could help it.

The slave master was a nightmare. What more he seemed to have a creepy attraction to Luffy, which Ace would not stand for. He would pummel the slave master into the ground if it was the last thing he would do.

First checking the prisons only to find them empty, Ace quickly ran down the long deserted hallways of the mansion. A small sound drew him into one of the smaller kitchens.

At first glance the room looked deserted but a small movement caught Ace's eyes. In the corner of the kitchen out of sight from the hallway Luffy was pinned up against the wall by none other than Slave Master. What really caught Ace's attention was the needle currently jammed into the little boys arm.

With a cry of rage Ace ran into the room, knocking the man aside with a satisfying smack. Without the weight to hold him up Luffy's knees caved and he slid down the wall as Ace scrambled to catch him.

"What the hell were you doing?" Ace practically screamed at the fumbling man on the floor.

"He had to be punished." The man trembled, trying to get away from Ace' rage. "He disobeyed me."

"You're insane." Ace turned back to Luffy pulling the needle out of his arm and gently tapped his face. Luffy's face was completely blank as he opened his eyes looking at Ace, almost straight through him. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"What the hell did you give him?"

The terrified man glanced down to avoid Ace's furious gaze. "Opium….Umph." The man reeled back as Ace sent a firm kick to his chest, knocking him back into the opposite wall. He didn't waste another second as he got up and limed out of the room, rubbing his broken ribs.

Ace paid him no heed as he turned back to Luffy. He could always take care of him later. "Lu talk to me, are you okay?"

The kid stared at him for a second before he pushed his way out of Ace's arms leaning heavily against the wall to support himself. Ace caught him once more before he hit the floor. He cursed the situation as he picked up the flailing and child and carried him to his room. This was defiantly really bad. Ace had no idea how to take care of drug overdose, as this certainly looked like it. Even more then that he doubted the in house doctor, or any doctor for that mater, would look at a Slave. He was on his own in this.

Locking the door behind him Ace set Luffy down as gently as he could on the bed sitting cross-legged next to him in case he fell off.

"Luffy, tell me what happened."

Luffy was staring down at his hand in amazement as he turned it around to inspect the palm. Ace noticed the fingernails were starting to turn a purplish black color. That defiantly couldn't be good.

"Ace?"

"Yea?"

"What are you doing?"

Ace rubbed his eyes in tired concern. All this fear was probably bad for his heart. "I am looking after you."

Luffy paused for a moment as he pulled gently at his fingernail as if trying to take it off, the color was darkening by the minute. "What are you doing Ace?"

"You got injected with opium." Ace explained gently as he shifted closer to the kid. "Do you feel okay?"

Luffy made a small nose before he closed his eyes, falling forwards into Ace's chest. He waited a few seconds before pulling Luffy off of him but the little kid seemed to be mostly asleep. Ace doubted he would remember any of this in the morning, if he made it to then.

Furious at himself for thinking such thoughts he laid Luffy down on the bed sitting down next to him in deep thought. What was he supposed to do now?

"Hey Luffy, do you want to hear a story?"

There was a small sniffling moan in which Ace decided was a yes. So he started talking, telling Luffy about everything he had missed, everything that had been stolen from him. But most of all he told him about the Ocean, about pirates, and (through clenched teeth) told him about Gol. D Rodger the king of the pirates. He talked for hours as Luffy zoned in and out of consciousness, fighting the effects of the overdose. The only times he paused was when Luffy started violently throwing up. Still after he stopped Ace would resume his story. Telling Luffy all of the amazing things he had seen, how much of the world was locked out of the Tenryuubito's gates. He continued late into the night, long after Luffy fell unconscious. In fact he only stopped when he himself fell asleep.

It was a dreamless sleep, and he often woke up in a tired haze to feel Luffy's chest to make sure he was still breathing. He had never been in such a precarious situation alone. In the past no matter how bad thing got Ace always had help. His crew, his friends, someone would be there with him so that even if big decisions fell on his shoulders he wouldn't be making them alone. But this time there was no one he could turn to, nobody in this house was willing to help and his only allies were hundreds of miles away. Ace wondered if this was how Luffy felt before he had met him.

When he woke up again sunlight was streaming from his tiny window, sill dim enough to be the light of early morning.

"Luffy?" He croaked his voce hoarse from talking.

The little boy groaned in response as he turned over trying to remain asleep. His complexion was much better today and his nails and lips had returned to their original light color.

"Are you awake?"

Luffy hummed in reply as he pushed himself up rubbing his eyes tiredly "My head hurts, what happened?"

Ace ignored the question as he stared at the floor refusing to meet the little boy's confused eyes. He felt guilt swell up in his stomach. "You shouldn't act out anymore."

That defiantly got his attention as he sat up, still disoriented and confused he asked, "What are you talking about? You're the one who told me to."

Ace bit his lip as his gaze slowly shifted to meet Luffy's. "I know I did. But after what happened I'm worried you're going to get serious hurt if this keep up. I can't always be there to stop them. When I told you that I was being selfish. I wanted to see the nobles angry and frazzled, I wasn't thinking about what would happen to you."

He didn't dare meet the little boys gaze as he picked at the bedspread nervously. He had been worried Luffy would take this as betrayal. As much as he had truly cared about the little boy he also cared about annoying the Tenryuubito and their guards, and that took priority. At least it had until he started really getting to know Luffy. Now there was honestly nothing he wanted more then to protect the little kid. Even if that meant going against his mission.

After a few moments of silence Luffy spoke.

"No."

"What?" Ace ased confused.

"I said no, I don't want to stop. After all these years I finally get to fight back, take some power from the greedy people, why would I stop."

Ace paused for a moment considering what Luffy had said. It did make sense the more he thought about it. Before Luffy had been completely powerless, unable to do anything to defend himself or fight back. At least now he had a way to take power back for himself. If it had been anyone else he was sure they would of gone crazy years ago, but Luffy was a survivor that much was for sure.

There was a few minutes of comfortable silence as the two of them were lost in their own thoughts until Luffy finally broke it.

"Hey Ace."

"Yea?" He mused distractedly.

"Do you have any family?"

Ace frowned as he focused on Luffy confused. "Where is this coming from?" When the kid didn't answer Ace sighed again, it as a topic he would rather not broach but he felt like he owed it to Luffy to answer. "A long time ago I did, but not anymore."

"Oh….."

"Do you have anyone?" Ace tried, interested now the focus had shifted off himself. "Anyone to go back to if you ever get out of here?"

Luffy remained silent instead shaking his head. "It's just me." His usual happy personality was overshadowed by loneliness, a thought Ace couldn't bear for the small child.

Before he even knew what he was saying Ace jumped in. "I'll be you family."

"What?" Luffy looked at him with wide unbelieving eyes.

Emotional speeches and emotions in general where beyond Ace's comfort zone. Despite all the progress he had made in his childhood nothing had quite prepared him for them. He usually delegated them to someone else, more capable, but as yesterday's events had made apparent Ace was alone in this. But even more then that Luffy needed Ace to be there for him, he needed Ace to say it out loud even if it was only this once.

"Neither of us have family, so I will be your brother okay, and you can be mine. That means no matter where I am or what I'm doing you're never going to be alone again. Even if you find yourself in trouble like tonight I will come save you I swear."

And he meant it, Luffy needed him as much as he needed Luffy. Someone to protect, someone who was glad he was born. This kid was important to him, from the moment they had first met Ace had noticed it, Luffy was… familiar.

He half expected the kid to turn down his offer but instead the little boy launched himself at Ace, wrapping his tiny arms around his waist and burying his head into his stomach.

"For real?" He asked, his voice muffled.

"For real, and I promise I will get you out of here and I will show you what the real world looks like."

"Like from your story?' Two curious brown eyes looked at him.

"So you were listening." Ace smirked to himself. He had doubted his story had made it to the delirious boys head but apparently he had been wrong. It seemed that was happened a lot.

Luffy shook his head enthusiastically. "Hey Ace!"

"Hmm?"

"I want to be pirate king!"

 **Unfortunately this this will be the last happy/not sad chapter for a long time (I don't know if you can call this happy) but starting next chapter it is going to get really sad. I really hope that wasn't too dark or unexpected but to me at least it seems like something a scummy slave master would do if someone was being unsubordinated. Anyways, that was super long. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand it was super cute and on the other I am worried it was terrible. It took like an hour of researching Opium and its side effects. I really hope you liked it. Thank you so much for all the reviews it makes me insanely happy**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this is kind of going to be a bit of a rant but I feel like I'm missing something here. So, I was looking at different One Piece forums and I stumbled across the saddest Straw Hat backstory and on all of the polls Luffy won for happiest childhood. How is that possible? All of the straw hats stories are pretty tragic and I totally get some are worse than others (I'm not saying Luffy's was the worst) But I don't think it's fair to say his was the easiest. He was 'abandoned (as far as he knew) by his parents and alone until he met his brothers. But even though they were together they still had to deal with things that none of the other straw hats did; like being discriminated against by the nobles, growing up in the slums. They had to be completely self-reliant such as finding their own food and clothes so they wouldn't die, and they had to fight their own battles against unfair odds. That seems really rough to me. Luffy got tortured when he was seven, they were separated from their brother who was then murdered. Then Luffy's last 'family' member Ace died after promising Luffy he would never leave him alone. Their story kind of struck a chord with me (it sort of reminded me of Pains backstory from Naruto). Anyway sorry for the long rant, tell me what you think and if it's just me or not**

 **This chapter is going to be a little dark but it's not going to be as bad as the one after it. Also please check out my new story, it has lots of ASL and is a red riding hood AU: Called The Woods Run Red.**

 **22: Thank you! Yes that is Luffy's main goal as of now! But a lot of things have to happen first.**

 **Nala1220: That's true. I think Whitebeard won't mind as long as Ace sticks to the mission, but he trusts Ace to make his own choices. It will be him who is sent to help Ace! And more! The Celestial dragons are not to be trusted in this fic! They are always looking for a chance to backstab the people 'below' them so they can come out on top. Thank you so much!**

 **Guest1: Yay! I'm glad you like it!**

 **Naxu: Lol, its true thank you for noticing. I am sort of obsessed with Ace and Luffy! Thank you for the help, I will definitely try to work on that. Thank you so much!**

 **Guest2: Yes! Luffy will eventually get his hat, but it's not for a while. Aww, that's so cute, I hadn't really thought about it that way but your right, Ace and Luffy do seem to have a symbiotic relationship. It doesn't get sad quite yet, but it does not end on a happy note. Next chapter will be the really sad one. Haha the tissue box line made me laugh.**

 **Ruth: Yes! He will! But not for a while. Thank you! Ace and Luffy sort of took over all my stories without me noticing! Haha, none of my fanfic stories have ever made anyone cry before. I hope this can be the first!**

 **EnixFairy: Thank you! I hope you like this new chapter.**

It had been six months since Luffy's unfortunate overdose. During that time the two of them had grown practically inseparable. It was nearly impossible to find one without the other. Today was no exception. The two of them were playing hide and go seek in the mansions huge hallways.

If anyone asked him about it Ace would claim he was doing it merely to entertain Luffy, the kid had the attention span of a brick, but the truth was Ace got just as much enjoyment form it. When he was a kid he was never able to play games like this, so he was not so willing to pass up the chance to see what he had missed.

Ace smiled to himself as crawled down on his knees to check under the table. Luffy was so good at this it was almost unfair. He was small and flexible enough to hide practically anywhere.

"Luffy, are you hiding down this hallway? Ace called out to the empty corridor."

"No," a small voice answered back making Ace smile.

Today marked a very important date; tonight was the night that Ace and a few other Whitebeard members would break into the noble's house to steal the deed. If they pulled this off then the slaves should be free by tomorrow morning, including Luffy. It had taken months of meticulous planning and observing but it was about to pay off. The two of them were currently waiting for the other White Beard members to show up.

Ace could barely contain his excitement at the aspect of seeing his friends again. Marco, Thatch, Izo, Little Oars Jr. and Vista were all coming to his aid. He hadn't seen them in nearly nine months, and although he had missed them terribly he couldn't bring himself to regret the time he had spent here.

"Hmm, where could Luffy be?" Ace mused loudly, listening for the muffled response. Sure enough the sound of laughter echoed off the walls and down the hallway. He headed over to the small vent halfway up the wall and pulled the cover off.

"Found you," he said smiling, as he helped Luffy climb out of the cramped space. He was covered in dust but smiling none the less.

"How did you know?" He asked in disbelief.

"Heads up Lu, next time you're hiding from someone try not to talk back to them."

Luffy nodded thoughtfully at the revelation, as if he was debating whether it was good advice or not.

"Come on, they must be getting here soon," Ace said grabbing Luffy's hand as he led them back through the complicated mess of hallways and rooms. His grin grew at the prospect of being reunited with his friends.

"What are they like?" Luffy questioned, allowing himself to be led around by Ace.

Ace thought for a moment, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "Their all very strong." Feeling Luffy flinch under his grip he quickly added, "But their all very nice, I'm sure they will play hide and go seek with you if you ask."

The two of them stopped at the entrance hesitant to go any further. Luffy's collar could explode if he ventured too far from the mansion. If everything went well it was a problem Luffy would soon no longer have to worry about. Ace had already made up his mind, Luffy would be free no matter what happened tonight, he deserved it.

He watched silently as Luffy brought up his hands to feel the warmth of the sunlight. He smiled as it illuminated his arms, trailing up to his shoulder. Warmth and real light were not common for the slaves. All of their movements were restricted.

"Stay here Luffy," Ace told him as he caught sight of five familiar faces, "I'll be right back."

Luffy watched as he sprinted away out of the Palaces reach. He wished with all his heart he could follow him. Leave this dreadful place and all its cruelness. He just wanted to be free. He rested his hand on his collar as he sat down on the ground, waiting for Ace to come back and get him.

Unbeknownst to Luffy a slave named Byron sulked just around the corner. The harsh years of servitude had long since broken him. He was no longer the man he used to be. But all of that appeared to be changing. Byron was in charge of managing the snail phones, as such he was never very far away when there was a call to be made. Over the years he had gotten very good at eavesdropping. It was one of the only comforts he had left in this hollow existence, but recently he had something else to live for. He had overheard that Ace boy talking to his pirate captain. They planned on freeing all of the slaves, the Tenryuubito had even agreed. After all these years there was finally reason to hope.

Out of respect for what they were trying to accomplish Bryon tried to stay out of that kid's way, as he was sure they had a good reason for not informing the slaves yet. But that didn't stop him from occasionally hearing him go over the plans on the snail phone or telling that little slave boy. Through his eves dropping he had learned that it was going to happen tonight. If all went well he could be a free man tomorrow. So Byron had dedicated the day to stalking the two black haired boys around, making sure everything was going to go well. If there was a complication he would do whatever it took to settle it without the pirates ever knowing he had helped them.

Satisfied by that thought he sunk back into the hallway, listening to the chaos happening right outside.

Luffy stared wide eyed at Ace's friends. They were an unusual group that was for sure; there was a young man named Marco whose hair looked like a pineapple. A man all in white named Thatch whose hair reminded Luffy of a beaver's tail. A strange looking monster called Little Oars jr. Izo, who made it very hard for Luffy to tell if they were a man or a women. And a man with a funny mustache called vista.

Luffy strategically placed himself behind Ace in case one of them turned into a bad guy.

"You must be Luffy," Beaver hair said kindly as he smiled down at him. "Ace has told us a lot about you."

Luffy looked up at him in surprise, he had no idea Ace talked about him. They were all Ace's friends right? That meant he should trust them, but trusting adults had ever come easy to him these last few years. It always backfired.

"Is he always this shy? Pineapple head asked Ace curiously.

Ace shrugged as a coy smile spread over his face, "You caught him on a good day, usually he worse." Ace ruffled Luffy's hair reassuringly as Luffy peaked up at him. His mouth twitched, mirroring the older boys. His friends acted sort of like him.

"So what's the plan?" Pineapple head said with his own twisted smile, "it looks like things are going to get messy."

The six of them spent the rest of the mourning meticulously going over the details of Ace's plan. It was painstaking work and they were all quite anxious to get started. Luffy watched curiously, interested in hearing how they were planning to do it. Ace had told him everything he decided during the months that he solidified the plans. But it was still fun hearing about it from all of them.

They were interrupted a few hours in by a knock on the door. They glanced at each other unsurely before Izo jumped to hide the plans. Luffy jumped off the bed and crossed the floor unsurely to stand besides Ace. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Seeing nobody was moving Marco strode over to the door and opened it confidently. The slave master's angry face leered at them as Luffy's grip on Ace's hand tightened.

"What can we help you with?" Marco asked innocently as the man shoved the door open and stepped inside.

He ignored Marco and instead glared at Luffy, "Where the hell have you been? You are supposed to help with the party set up. I have been looking for you all day. I should have known I would find you here. If I weren't around you would forget your own face"

Luffy hadn't forgotten as the man so clearly suggested. The party is what Ace and the others were using as a distraction for the break in. All the Tenryubito would be there leaving their mansion empty and unguarded, the perfect opportunity.

The Slave Master stalked across the room, attempting to grab Luffy and drag him away when Ace knocked his hand away coldly.

"I have authority over him not you," Slave master said coldly, his voice dangerous.

"He's not an idiot, he can get there without your help," Ace retorted back, his tone just as menacing.

The two of them stared dispassionately at each other before the man finally backed down. "He'd better," He growled as he left the room, slamming the door on his way out.

"He's pleasant," Thatch mused sarcastically turning to Luffy, "I suppose we will be seeing you later?"

Luffy smiled slightly and waved in response at the people in the room as he headed for the door. The sooner he did this the sooner he would be back with Ace.

"Lu, wait, I'll come with you," Ace promised as he chased after the kid, giving his friends a hap hazard wave.

When the two of them were alone in the hallway Luffy tilted his head curiously. Not that he wasn't glad for the company but Ace was looking rally serious. It wasn't that big of a deal, he would see him soon enough. Although he desperately wished Ace could come to this party with him. His curiosity only grew as Ace remained silent though the maze of hallways and servant passages. Ace wasn't the type to conceal his thoughts and feelings.

Finally the two halted at the doubt doors leading to the ballroom. Luffy hesitated going in, instead turning back around to smile at him.

"Bye Ace!"

Ace stared at him for a moment as if debating whether to say something or not, but before long Luffy's contagious smile reached him and he grinned back openly, all doubt gone from his brain.

"Try not to have too much fun at the party," He retorted back confidently.

Luffy laughed at the thought, there was no way he was going to enjoy any part of this. "Have fun raiding their house!"

Ace snorted at the thought as it was clear to both of them that he would indeed be having fun. The two stood in comfortable silence for a second each lost in their own thoughts before Ace reached over to ruffle Luffy's spikey black hair.

"Don't forget our promise Lu, no more spacing out."

Luffy nodded thoughtfully, "I promise I won't do it anymore if you promise to come get me okay, don't leave me here with these people."

"I would never do that," Ace said, his tone completely serious, "I swear Luffy, I will save you, no matter what."

Luffy's grin came back at the confession, "Then I Swear I won't space out anymore."

That seemed to satisfy Ace as he leaned back and flicked Luffy's nose, "See you late then Lu."

"Bye Ace," Luffy repeated waving as the boy disappeared down the hallway. Luffy lingered a minute longer to stare before entering the ballroom.

Before he met Ace Luffy always felt like he was empty. It was the kind of feeling that was hard to describe but Luffy thought it was rather like being hungry. A constant pain in his chest that refused to go away. The only difference was that this pain didn't go away if he ate it as there regardless. But he no longer had to worry, Ace was here now, Ace would save him and Ace would protect him. Luffy was no longer alone and he was no longer a human doll. He would no longer zone out and he would no longer sit idly by. He would fight back at every opportunity he got and show the world what it meant to be a real person.

So when he felt the cold clammy hands of the slave master trailing down his back he didn't just stand there and let it happen like he used to, he fought back. Luffy turned around and jammed his fist into that creeps face. Smiling in satisfaction as the soft cartilage of the slave masters nose crackled under his small knuckles. The man screamed in rage as he drew back, clutching his broken nose as blood flowed freely between his fingers.

But as the guards grabbed Luffy and began to drag him towards the dungeon Luffy wasn't scared. It didn't matter what they did to him, he could take any pain now that he was no longer alone. It was okay because his big brother would save him for sure.

 **Awwwww I'm crying on the inside. I'm sorry if this scene was corny but it will became very important later on. Plus it was super painful for me to write. I just want Luffy and Ace to be happy together. Anyways please please review and tell me what you think, and your thoughts on my above rant because I am really curious what other people opinions are on the ASL childhood. Next chapter is going to get a little rough but the one after that is going to be even worse, and also your thoughts on my above rant.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! So I know I have brought this up before but it would make me insanely happy if you read my story The Woods Run Red. It is my favorite story to write. This is a little bit of a spoiler but Ace is a possessive Werewolf, Sabo is a vampire noble and Luffy is the sole human who lives in a forest full of monsters. And the three of them live together as the worlds strangest pack until a group of school children accidently find them. I'm extra pumped about it because I just wrote a new chapter so please excuse my annoying pushiness.**

 **Anyway I took a bit of a break last week but I hope you like this new chapter** **there is going to be no Luffy POV but I promise next chapter will be solely from his perspective. (Oh and I forgot to mention Byron is an actually character, he has his own Wikipedia page and everything. He was a slave at the auction that was freed thanks to Luffy and Co. Before being sold into slavery he was a pirate. )**

 **SEllen23: Thank you so much! I hope you're not too disappointed by this chapter, a bit of a sadness alert for later on. But Luffy's pretty awesome, no matter what happens he will be fine.**

 **Nala120: This chapter was a little darker then the last one and they are going to get much worse from this point onwards. The slave (Byron) shows up again in this chapter and he is a bit of a jerk. He's sort of a grey character, he's not evil but he definitely messes some stuff up in this chapter. But there is a scene that really makes me hate him here. Anyway thank you for reading it! I hope you like this chapter!**

"Will you quit worrying and focus, I'm sure the kids fine."

Ace glanced at his friends again before nodding and returning to the task ahead of them. In only a few hours they would be invading a noble's house and stealing their family lineage papers. This family alone thought they were above showing the officials the papers and that mistake would be their downfall. Since no one outside the family had actually seen the documents their argument wouldn't be able to hold up in court and their estate and wealth would go to the person the government feared most, probably the Tenryuubito who had hired the White Beards.

Ace would honestly feel bad if he didn't hate nobles so much. It was a dislike he had taken from Sabo upon his death and it had been enforced during his time here.

The six of them watched apprehensively as people trickled past, eager to go to the party. They needed to wait just a little longer to start. Eventually sometime past midnight the house would become nearly deserted and that's when they would strike.

Ace finished assembling the sleeping darts and stowed them in his belt, anxiously teetering back and forth on his heels. For the most part they passed the time in tense silence, occasionally breaking it to inform Ace of new developments on the ship.

Unbeknownst to them Byron watched from across the hall. He had seen the little slave boy Ace liked being dragged to the cells for his insubordination. As much as he wanted to he didn't dare tell Ace about it. Surely if he did Ace would abandon the whole operation to save him and that was something he couldn't afford. He had been a slave too many years to allow that to happen. So he turned on his heels and slipped through the empty halls, heading straight towards the cells.

He waited for the Slave master to finally leave. Before heading over to the cell where the child was lying, he crouched down besides the kid waiting for him to notice.

Sure enough after a few moments Luffy pulled himself off the floor staring curiously at Byron. He wiped blood from his cheek with a tiny hand.

"Do you recognize me?" He asked curiously.

Luffy shook his head trying to sit up despite the beating he had received. He gave up and crawled to the prison bars closer to Byron.

"I am here to give you my condolences."

"What?" Luffy's brown eyes grew wide as he processed what he was saying.

"I'm afraid the slave master intends to kill you, I heard him discussing his plans. I hope for your sake you will be rescued in time but as of now your fate remains uncertain. Either way I refuse to get involved, there is too much at stake right now."

"I won't die… I can't," Luffy told him shaking his head, "Ace will save me, he promised."

Byron nodded sympathetically, "It is a horrible thing to lose a child, but your sacrifice will not be in vain. Your death will be part of the movement that brings all of the slaves here their freedom. Unfortunately I'm afraid you will most likely be gone by then. Ace will not save you, he can't. He doesn't even know you are here. And I will certainly not be the one to tell him. Goodbye Luffy."

Luffy watched helpless as he left, back up the stairs, much like a shadow. He felt the familiar feeling of hopelessness pool in his chest. Why did he have to die? There was so much he wanted to do. He wanted to wake up and see the sky, feel the ground beneath his feet, he wanted to see the ocean. He wanted more freedom than anyone else in the world, He wanted to be the king of pirates. He felt the darkness tug at his mind trying to pull him back into the protection of dislocation. But he struggled against it gripping the bars until his knuckles turned white. He would NOT die, Ace was going to save him. And in return he would keep his promise to Ace.

.

"Let's do this," Ace said enthusiastically as they stood outside the nobles nearly abandoned mansion. If they pulled this off they would save so many lives.

Getting in was easy enough as they simply slipped through an open window, soundlessly and without having to break anything. From there on they split up, each going their separate ways down the various hallways, searching for the records room.

Ace took the main hallway, running down it with a surprising speed. Despite what he did he couldn't shake the horrible feeling pooling in his stomach, like he was forgetting something. Shaking his head he turned down the hallway coming across a heavy wooden door.

"You guys, I think I found it," Ace spoke into to den-den-mushi. Ignoring their static replies he pushed his palms against the locked handle, smirking as it began to glow bright red. As the locking mechanism melted away the door opened with a whining click. He shoved it unceremoniously, glancing around the room. It was as stuffy as the rest of the house, the only difference was it was smaller. He glanced wearily at the book cases that lined the room, all filled to the brim with carefully sorted documents. There was no way he was going to find the deed in all of that. But maybe he didn't have to. The single decoration in the room was a medium sized painting, it looked oddly out of place.

His smirk was back as he was reminded just how stupid nobles truly were. Walking across the tiny room he gently unhooked the painting unsurprised to see a hollow space behind it. Sure enough in a fancy glass frame lay the deed, collecting dust. This was the noble's only true claim to their fortune and title. They were about to lose everything, still Ace couldn't muster up even the slightest bit of pity for the wretched creatures. The most positive emotion he held for this breed of people was extreme dislike. He grabbed it, putting the painting back in its place. Just as he turned to leave the alarms went off.

Ace glanced around cussing as he once again broke out into a run. He answered the den den mushi on the first ring unsurprised to hear Marco's voice.

"The Tenryuubito betrayed us."

Ace laughed humorlessly, "of course he did."

.

"The Tenryuubito betrayed us."

Bryon stood there numbly for a second as the words knocked around endlessly in his head. So shocked he didn't even notice as the snail fell from his hands to the floor, its shell cracking as it hit. He wire tapped their conversation so he could keep up with the escape plan. But now with a sudden thud of his weary heart he realized it had all been for nothing. He was never going to get out of here. He should never have gotten his hopes up. The Tenryuubito's promise to free the slaves had been a lie. And he believed it, like a gullible idiot. A deep sense of panic welled up in his chest as he gave a strangled cry. This was it, this was the only thing he had been living for. There was no escape for him afterall. He would be here until he died.

His back resting against a wall as he sunk down in distress. No more hopes, no mores dreams and no more plans. He along with the rest of the slaves were going to be stuck here until they died.

'Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Your death will be part of the movement that brings all of the slaves here their freedom.'

His words to Luffy repeated over and over in his brain. He knew what he had to do. He could no longer stomach this cruel world. But hopefully hi death could take out some of the so despised nobles, there was even a chance some of the slaves might have the opportunity to escape. Muttering to himself like a mad man he pushed himself off the wall and stumbled down the hallway. Swaying like a drunk he made his way to the ballroom, shoving drunk nobles out of the way as he passed. They screamed at him ordering the guards for his punishment, but his ears were deaf to their complaints. They would be the ones screaming soon enough. The closer he got to the center the tighter the bodies were pact. They threw him disgusted looks, horrified to be touched by a slave.

By the time he reached the center of the room he had managed to catch some attention. The guards were already on their way, but getting through such a thick crowed proved harder then they anticipated. They were reduced to screaming orders a him instead, not willing to risk accidently brushing a noble.

He addressed the crowd, resting his pack against the main pillar. This pillar only was made of wood. Carved from an old red tree and used as a centerpiece as well as an anchor. The nobles couldn't possibly know that it had taken this tree over a hundred years to grow and another fifty to carve the intricate design. But they didn't know and they didn't even care. He doubted they had ever given the beam a second glance. But if anyone had bothered to look up they would realize it was connected to an intricate circuit of beams, ceiling tiles and girders all made from wood.

Sensing hundreds of eyes on him; servants' nobles and guards alike, Byron realized for the first time in years they had stopped ignoring him.

"You people," he breathed, fire in his eyes, "you believe the entire world belongs to you. You think you're better than us just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Compared to you everyone else is worth less then trash. But you're wrong, you're the only trash I see and this world nor the slaves you own are yours. I am going to do the world a favor and remove you from it." Spit flew from his mouth as he raged, the things that had been building up all these years tumbled out. He wanted these people to suffer, to squirm in agony as they died. And he would personally see to it.

There was complete silence in the room, all staring at him in shock. Byron simply smiled tilting his head back against the pillar and closed his eyes. His hand came up to rest on his collar as he took a deep breath. His last. With a vicious tug he yanked the collar off. And everything descended into chaos.

.

"What the hell was that?" Ace yelled.

Marco frowned turning to address the group as they approached, "one of the slaves committed suicide." He said grimly, "he was trying to take out as many nobles as he could and pulled his collar off in the middle of the ballroom. He made sure to do it besides the central support beam for the whole mansion. We have only minutes before the entire place goes up in flames."

Ace cussed harshly, the others beside him followed suit. Why now? They could have been free, if they had waited just a few more hours all of them could have been free. Sure the plan had hit a snag but it was nothing they hadn't been expecting. It's not like they had all simply crossed their fingers hoping the Tenryuubito would keep his promise. They knew he would most likely betray them. In fat they had planned on it. Still they had enough evidence to do far more then blackmail him. One way or another the slaves would have been freed tonight. But now, they would be lucky if they didn't burn to death. The nobles had a chance of escaping, but if the slaves so much as tried to leave the property their collars would explode.

A horrid thought flashed across his mind as he remembered why he was doing all this in the first place. Luffy!

"We have to free the slaves," He yelled as he broke into a mad dash towards the mansion. His heart thudded painfully at the thought of Luffy in danger. He could feel his friends trying to keep up behind him. He had to focus on finding Luffy.

He saw the terrified nobles fleeing from the palace, practically stampeding over each other in effort to escape. Shoving them aside Ace fought the current of bodies, running back into the house. With all the smoke and screaming people it was impossible to see anything.

"If the slaves go outside they will explode," Ace said to Marco, screaming to be heard over all the background noise. "We need to get the keys."

"Ace, calm down," Thatch told him, setting his hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. "Go find him, we will worry about the keys and the other slaves."

Ace stared at his friends faces in surprise, wondering when he became that transparent.

"Thank you."

"Go!"

That was all the encouragement he needed. He broke out into a run, down the hallway, the closer he got the more smoke filled his lungs. The flames licked at his heels and tried to scorch his skin, but it barley bothered him. After all he was made out of fire.

"Luffy, where are you?" He screamed down the practically abandoned hallways. His panic increased as no one answered.

"LUFFY!" Ace screamed again louder this time.

A small sound distracted him from his quest as he stumbled upon a slave, chained to the wall.

"Help me," they pleaded their eyes so full of grief and fear.

Ace nodded wordlessly, ripping the chain from the wall and helping the slave to their feet. "Can you walk?"

He was encouraged when the slave nodded. "I don't have the key to free you, go find my friends, they will help you escape."

As the slave nodded again Ace turned to keep searching, only for them to grab his arm.

"You're looking for that black haired child right? You won't find him up here, he was taken to the dungeon."

Ace's eyes grew wide, "What did you say?"

"He punched the slave master and was taken to be punished."

Ace nodded mutely and thanked the slave turning to leave. Luffy was in trouble, worse trouble then he had thought. Why would Luffy do such a thing? On tonight of all nights, when he knew Ace wouldn't be there to protect him. He held his breath, praying to every god he had ever heard of that Luffy was okay.

"Luffy hang on, I'm going to save you," Ace yelled.

"Just hold on."

The walls whined around him as he ran past, the support beams began to cave from the ceiling giving the hallways a strange horror like quality, almost surreal. Ace was worried about the other slaves as well. He wanted all of them to get the freedom they deserved, after all it was what he had been sent here for. But he had faith in his friends, the same way Luffy had faith in him. But despite what it said on paper at the end of the day Ace was really just working to save one slave this entire time. He knew it was heartless and he knew it was unforgivable but if it came down to it he would trade all of the slaves here for Luffy. They were the reason he came here, but that kid was the reason he stayed, why he tried so damn hard. So he would be fine, he had to be. If he wasn't then what the hell was Ace fighting for?

He flew open the prison door practically jumping down the steps. But his timing was off and he missed the last one, coming to a rest on his knees.

"Luffy?"

When he was little Ace had a tendency to look and act too serious sometimes. Sabo had once told him that when he was determined his face got all serious and he looked scary. Dadan had told him he looked like a brat, trying too hard to be an adult. And the villagers screamed that he looked like a demon from the depths of hell. He of course, had told them all to shut up. He hadn't necessarily liked the idea of being seen as a devil, it had always bothered him. But as long as Sabo never thought of him as one he could cope. To this day whenever he got too angry or serious he had to force himself to calm down. He never wanted to lose it like that again, he never wanted to hurt people like that again either. All he did, all he tried to do, was help people to try and make up for it.

Ace didn't know why he thought of that now as he crawled forward towards the cage bars. Perhaps it was because anything was better than the numbness that was slowly spreading across his body. The cage door was open but he didn't bother going in. Instead he reached through the bars grabbing the collar from its spot on the ground.

Ace thought he would be furious, murderous at the very least. But he didn't feel angry in the least, in fact he felt the furthest thing from it. All that rage he had coming down here was gone, sucked out by the cold stone walls.

He turned the collar over in his hand as if it somehow held what he was looking for. And only then did it sink in.

Luffy was gone.

There was a note tied to the collar. In messy handwriting it said, 'too late.'

Ace laughed as he sat back on the cold stone floor. He re-read the note a few times over.

'Too late,'

Luffy was gone.

 **HE** was too late

Luffy was gone because he was too late.

He rested his head against the bars feeling more laughter bubble up in his throat. He wasn't angry, not in the least. He was hysterical instead. He couldn't save Luffy, he broke his promise. That little boy trusted him, believed in him. Ace had let him down. Even worse he had lied to him.

Denial, depression, anger and finally acceptance. The four stages of grief as Marco had explained it. The way Ace figured, he was somewhere between denial and depression. Anger came later, he would have plenty of time to be angry later. After all Ace was never going to accept this, so anger was pretty much the only thing he had to look forwards too. He was going to find Luffy, even if it was the last thing he did. He wouldn't fail again, that was for sure.

But for the time being the only thing he could do was have faith in Luffy. That kid was strong, far stronger then Ace ever pretended to be. He was no quitter. He needed Luffy to hang on just a little longer. It was a lot to ask, especially of one so small but he could do it. He wasn't alone anymore.

After all Luffy was Ace's little Brother.

.

 **Guest 2: Haha that's true, One Piece is just really sad in general.**

 **Ruth: No way! I love when people review it makes me so happy! And I love being able to answer. Luffy does sort of resemble Pinocchio in a lot of ways. Unfortunately you were right about the storm. The rainbow is going to take a while to come out after everything that's happened. But rest assured there will be a happy ending yet!**

 **EnixFairy: Thank you! This chapter is nearly 4,000 words! It just sort of happened. It's definitely the sad chapter unfortunately.**

 **Rion-Rion: Haha thank you!**

 **Guest 1: Thank you for reading! Unfortunately something pretty bad did happen in this chapter. But we're not going to know the full extent of it until next two chapters because there is no Luffy Pov.**

 **.**

… **yea… Sorry.**

 **I know you all want to kill me because this I ended the saddest chapter on a cliff hanger but please hold on first! The next chapter was originally going to be Luffy's POV but I added another mini chapter in between the two. I already started working on it, it's going to be really short but it should come out in the next few days so you won't have to wait a week to find out how Luffy's doing. It's going to be a four year later time skip so Luffy is going to be a little older and more like the Luffy we know now. Please tell me how I did or if you feel the slight inclination to kill me so I can move to Mexico and change my name. Anyways the reason I found the last scene of last chapter so sad was because it is the last time Luffy and Ace are going to see each other for a very long time.**


	7. Chapter 7

**As promised here I a tiny mini chapter of poor Luffy's fate. It's going to be pretty short but it will have Luffy's POV after the time skip. I will show what happened to Luffy just before Ace showed up.**

(Three/Four years later) Ace-20, Luffy-13/14ish

Luffy's dark eyes scanned the crowed. They stared back at him with a range of expressions, anywhere from greed to boredom. Noticing he had slowed down the guard yanked harshly on his chain, watching in amusement as he stumbled. With his hands cuffed tightly behind his back he could do nothing to stop his fall as he landed with his cheek pressed to the hard stage.

The crowed hooted in laughter. Luffy turned away from them as he realized there was nobody he recognized in the crowed. Nobody was here for him. Another guard came over and pulled him roughly to his feet as they shoved him into line behind the other slaves. He tried to bite them as they walked away but tied to the line of people there wasn't much he could do.

Luffy pouted as he stilled, waiting for it to be his turn to bet on. Over the last few years Luffy had been sold to more nobles and Tenryuubito then he could count. He had no idea exactly how much time had passed but he figured he must be a teenager by now. Or pretty close at the very least. Having Devil fruit powers and being quite young always ensured he sold easily. But they never kept him for long. Following his promise to Ace, Luffy was unruly and impossible to tame. All his previous owners had decided he was more trouble than he was wroth and simply sold him, leading to a vicious cycle of new masters. Most could only put up with him for a couple of months before giving up.

Seeing how much grief he had caused them all you would think some would just let him go, but they never did. Although they were forced to admit he had beaten them with his unbreakable spirit they seemed to content themselves in ruining his life. As long as they ensured he would never go free they could call it a win.

He watched as the slaves in front of him were slowly being sold off. Across the crowed of narrow faces he could see the doorway, the light of the sun streaming in through the spot. His favorite part of auctions were always the few snatches of moments that he was outside. Despite how brief, it was still nice to see the sky, to know it was still there despite what happened to him.

He stared blankly at the guards as they dragged him up to the podium, tying his cuffs to a rung on the stage, forcing him to kneel before the people.

"Despite being small for it's age he is surprisingly strong and quick." The announcer began the usual spiel as if he was selling a particularly rowdy piece of furniture. Like a disobedient chair. ]

Luffy barley payed attention as he tugged on his handcuffs, staring back blankly at the crowed. They pointed at him murmuring.

Tired of being called "it" or "him" in place of Luffy he stuck his tongue out at the crowed. They gasped in surprise, as if the slimy appendage was somehow offending them. The guards rushed over, practically laming him to the side with the force of the hit. The anchor on his wrists was the only thing keeping him up as the barrage of fists hit his head. Luffy closed his eyes, smirking. The damage had already been done, no one would want to buy him now.

"STOP."

Luffy's head snapped up as a strong voice boomed over the crowed silencing the murmuring. Even the guards stopped, backing away from him in his undignified place on the stage. He squirmed against his binds trying to see who spoke. But as a tall strong looking older man made his way to the stage Luffy's heart fell a little. It was nobody after all.

He felt the man's strong fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him up as far as his bonds allowed. He knelt down on one knee so they could look eye to eye. They were so close that Luffy could see every line and crease on the man's face. He looked hardened and dangerous and there was something about him that made Luffy squirm. He didn't say anything for a long moment, just when Luffy began to doubt if he would say anything he broke the silence.

"You have a reputation,"

Luffy blinked in surprise. That was good, at least all his hard work wasn't going unnoticed.

Before Luffy could say anything the man spoke again, his thin mouth twisting into a cruel smile. "But I love a challenge."

For the first time since he had met Ace Luffy felt fear build up in the pit of his stomach, he was in trouble.


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning! This chapter contains some dark content!**

.

Luffy tried to muffle his scream as the knife dug into his skin. He closed his eyes as tears of pain streamed down his cheeks. He watched as Slave Master pulled away, heating the knife over a candle until the metal began to glow.

"Anything to say to me now kid?" He asked pausing above Luffy.

He forced his body to relax, resting his cheek against the cold floor. It was hopeless, no matter what he did Slave Master wasn't going to stop. He was sadistic and creepy. Ace would save him, he knew he would. Despite what the slave said. He believed in him. He smiled gently before succumbing to the pain.

.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes a minuet ago when Luffy felt something roughly tug on him, lifting his wrists off the ground and tying them together. He didn't even bother to open his eyes. What did he care what this man did to him.

He felt another rough tug as slave master tried to pull him up off the ground, slapping him back into conciseness. There were sounds, loud sounds. People were screaming upstairs. The trampling of their feet was heard even in the prison.

He felt cold hands on his collar, followed by the clicking of a key.

Luffy's eyes flew open as he felt the collar being removed. For the first time in his life it was taken off. What was happening? He stared up at Slave master, a flash of fear across his face. What was this man doing?

Sensing his confusion the man smiled cruelly," It's chaos upstairs, a slave started a fire and the whole place is burning. Slaves are escaping by the handful and your little Pirate friends are helping them."

Luffy's eyes widened a bit before closing, a peaceful smile on his face. Ace was really doing it, he was going to free all of them. In all his life no one had ever been able to actually free any slaves, no matter how hard they tried. Parents, lost lovers, family, in the end it was all heartbreak. But Ace and his friends were actually making a difference.

"He's coming to save you," Slave master continued, his voice growing noticeably darker.

"But I won't let him."

Luffy's eyes shot open as he observed the man. He didn't like the anger he heard, where was this going? He scooted back uselessly as his hands were bound. He still tried to move away with his feet, pressing them against the cold stone to put as much distance between himself and the man.

"Your mine now kid, got that?"

He swallowed, bringing his knees to his chest. The man was perfectly serious. Just when he was about to be free, he was just going to another master. If this man took him now Ace wouldn't be able to find him. He watched confused as Slave Master wrote on a piece of paper, tying it to his collar and dropping it on the ground uselessly.

"It's a little note for your friend just in case he comes looking for you," he said grabbing Luffy's ankle and yanking him out of the corner. In turn Luffy kicked him, rolling over on his stomach and trying to worm away. He reacted furiously grabbing both legs and tying them together painfully tight as his ankle bones ground against each other. When his hand came too close to his mouth Luffy lashed out, biting his hand as hard as he could. He heard a sickening crack as one of the bones gave under the pressure.

Slave master gave a furious yell as he slammed Luffy against the wall until he let go. Angry now he picked the bound kid up and flung him over his shoulder. Luffy gave a yell of surprise as he flailed around. Trying desperately to get free. He watched helplessly as the man made his way deeper into the prison, feeling his way along the wall.

Ace had promised to save him, if he just hung on a little longer he would be free. He couldn't let this man take him. If he was stronger he could fight back, but he was too young and small right now. There was only one thing for him to do.

"ACE," He cried breaking his silence and startling the man.

"Shut up," he demanded as his hand brushed over the cellar door.

'It led to the outside,' Luffy realized with a start. It was the doorway that guards snuck the bodies of dead prison victims out from.

"ACE, PLEASE HELP ME."

Slave Master shook him harshly, pushing the door open with one hand. With his concentration weakened Luffy kneed him in the stomach, tumbling off the man's shoulders. He desperately wormed away, impossibly slowly with all his limbs pinned. He hadn't even made it a foot before he was caught, grabbing his hair this time as he dragged him out the cellar door, slamming it loudly.

Luffy watched helpless as he was dragged along the uneven ground into the woods behind the mansion. It truly had caught flame, the entire thing looked like a giant bonfire. The screams had died down a little bit as most had escaped by now.

After a few minutes of Luffy's fruitless struggling he was picked up again and carried deeper into the woods.

"Still think your savoir is coming for you?"

Luffy tore his gaze from the burning mansion to stare at the man.

"Yes," he said softly, "he will."

Apparently that was the wrong answer as he was thrown harshly to the ground. Slave Master stood over him, grinning like a mad man. This was it, he had lost it.

"Do you know why, I risked everything to take you?"

Luffy shook his head inching backwards.

"Because nobody can break you. Nobody but me that is," he took a step closer to the boy.

Luffy felt a tear roll down his cheek as he closed his eyes. He wanted Ace to be there right now. He wanted him to stop this man and to save him. He wanted him to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay, to take him away from this horrible place like he had promised. To show him the ocean and the sky. He was sick of being alone. Luffy wanted his big brother.

The man leaned over him, so close he could smell his foul breath. But before he could so much as make another move a shot rang out. He froze, surprised and glanced down at Luffy. A dot of red trickled from his chest and dripped onto the kid's cheek. With a final moan he slumped over to the forest floor. Hs eyes glassy and unblinking.

Luffy looked up as two men walked up. Both equally tall and muscular with tattoos littering their body. Slave hunters.

"Did we get him?" he asked, his voice gruff.

The other one nudged Slave Master with his foot receiving no response, "Yea, he's dead." They turned their attention to Luffy.

"He's a runaway slave from the burning house?"

"Looks like it," the other replied checking his brand. "Looks like we will make a profit tonight after all. All the others have run away by now, guess this ones just unlucky."

And as they picked him up and put him into a large burlap sack Luffy passed out. His last thoughts lingered on the promise he had made to Ace. He would keep his end, and in turn he would see Ace again. He wasn't alone anymore. His big brother would save him for sure.

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 **YAY! This fic just reached a hundred followers! That is so amazing. I can't believe a hundred human beings are reading my lil' old story. In less exciting news I've been considering writing some Asl one shots! If you have any ideas just let me know! Also I'm going to do some fancy cover art for this story, I just don't know what to do. Any thoughts?**

 **-Sorry it turned out so dark(This is sort of a dark story). Luffy will get back on his feet soon enough.**

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 **SEllen23: Thank you! Sorry it made you sad, unfortunately this isn't going to be much better. I think Byron is a complex character, but that was definitely a bad move on his part. Thank you so much for all the reviews you're awesome!**

 **OctaveTea: Me too! It's nice to see Ace when he's grown up and Luffy's still a kid. Hopefully he will whisks him far far away in the end.**

 **EnixFairy: Thank you! Hopefully the rampage is yet to come. I think at the time he was in shock. I hope you like this chapter. /Sorry this week of school had been killer. But here is another update that shouldn't end on a cliffhanger (hopefully)**

 **Ruth: Oh no! Don't Cry! I don't think Luffy can do that, at least in the show he had never been able to when he's tied up.**

 **Thank you for believing in me! I would pay to see Ace doing a Cool-Aid man!**

 **I love Steen Universe! That is a good song! All my fanfics but this one have songs I listen to while writing (The Woods Run Red is Wolf in sheep's clothing)! I would love to see what you write!**

 **Guest1: it's okay, Luffy is very strong.**

 **Mariachanne: Don't Worry! Ace will save him!**

 **Phonenix: I won't! I swear on my cat.**

 **Guest2: Hopefully this chapter will be interesting, I will try my best.**

 **Nala1220: Unfortunately right now it's looking like 7. Thank you so much for the nice review!**

 **Guest 3: Awww thank you! That's so so nice!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! It's been a long time, almost five months. I do have to apologize for that, life got REALLY crazy for me. But I never intended to abandon this story. Unfortunately this chapter is a really short one which is not ideal especially following such a long absence. But I'll be putting out chapter 10 soon.**

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Ace rested his chin on his hand as he stared out at the vast sea before him. It really did look like it went on forever. Who knows maybe it did. It was kind of nice having something greater then yourself to look up too. Even when said thing was waiting for a chance to take out your lungs and feed them to sea monsters. He always loved staring at the ocean, ever since he was little.

He sighed burying his face in his arms. He was twenty now a whole three years older. He had moved up the ranks pretty impressively as well as being a renowned pirate in both the grand line and the new world. Somehow all his accomplishments felt a little hollow. Sort of like building a castle and forgetting a whole layer of bottom bricks. It was over three years ago that he had made his biggest mistake. Failing to save a little slave boy who he had accidentally grown to love. His thoughts flashed back to Sabo but he brushed them aside before they had a chance to form. He didn't need to be reminded of his other failure. Apparently being his brother was like a bad omen

But he was trying hard not to think about that. Luffy wasn't dead yet, Ace was sure of it. He was tough and still out there. Hopefully still counting on Ace to save him. Yet try as he might he could find absolutely no trace of the kid. It was like he just up and vanished. The slave master was dead, that did give him some comfort. The bastard got what was coming to him but not before ensuring Luffy's suffering. And by extension Ace's as well.

"You look troubled today?" A familiar voice said from beside him. He didn't even have to look up to know who it was.

"What's up?" He asked turning his head to look at the man sideways. This was Marco the right hand of Whitebeard and one of Ace's best friends.

"We've spotted land, hopefully we will be there soon."

"Where are we going again?"

"Well we're heading to one of the revolutionary bases in the snow country."

Ace nodded as he leaned back not really caring. If you've seen one freezing hell base you've seen them all. He did like snow though. Something about never getting cold was pretty appealing to him. Plus there were snowball fights to be had and war's to be waged… with snowmen.

"Cool," He leaned back against the railing turning his attention back to the ocean. He heard Marco sigh besides him obviously picking up on the lack of his usual vigor. If he had to guess he would say his friends were worried about him. They didn't outright say it but on occasion they would send him worried glances. It wasn't like he was mopey or anything, he had long ago forgone that. It was just that he didn't act like he used to. Reserved, quiet and thoughtful, all words to describe him. The only problem was these things used to be antonyms of himself. He was usually boisterous, loud and rash.

He knew Marco and co believed Luffy to be dead. He was such a little kid in a cruel world. He also knew that they didn't want to tell him this in fear he would lose it. As subtly as they could they tried to get him to give up looking for the little kid, too worried about what he might uncover. But they didn't know Luffy like he did. The kid was strong and durable with a will to live the likes of which Ace had never seen before.

A few months after the incident Oyaji asked Ace I he regretted going on the mission. The question had caught him off guard as it was so out of character for the old man. But at the same time it felt kind of liberating for Ace when he realized the answer was no. He didn't regret it. He didn't regret anything in fact even if it was so heartbreaking in the end. He couldn't be sure but he suspected Luffy felt the same way.

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 **Short I know but I'm working on the next chapter right now. It will be Luffy pov in his new home. Also the straw hats will begin showing up one by one. OR at least most of them. Sorry again for such a long wait for a bitty chapter like this. Thanks for sticking with me.**

 **Phonenix: Yea that was pretty rough sorry. It's kind of a dark story though. Haha I'm sorry you got a heart attack. The cliff hanger will be resolved soon. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you**

 **SEllen: Haha yea. I'm glad you liked it even though it was a little sad. Thank you**

 **Moonjumper: Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Luffy is tough isn't he! That's awesome you got an account! I really like your stories.**

 **Nala1220: Sorry it took me so long to get back to you** **unfortunately this one is super short. After this will be Luffy's point of view and how he's is currently doing. I'm really glad you liked it though thank you**

 **AaliyaIronHeart: Thank you**

 **EnixFairy: Sorry it took me so long to update. Life REALLY kicked me in the butt. I'm really glad you liked it though!**

 **Killthebeast: I'm glad you like it! Sorry it took me so long to update** **Koala is in this story, just ironically not as a slave as longer. She might be a little old for Luffy in this version but she will be with Sabo. Thank you for reading my story!**

 **Guest #1: Yea wow I didn't even notice that until you pointed it out. I guess that's true huh. I can proudly say I made a one-shot that's nothing but fluff though** **That's so so sooo nice! Thank you so much. I am really sorry this story took me so long to update. Life really got in the way. I promise I will never give up writing** **Thanks for making my day.**

 **Guest #3 and 4: Yes! Don't worry I will never give up this story. I just couldn't fit it in my schedule the last few months with life kicking my butt and all. Sorry to make you worry. I'm really glad you like it though.**

 **Aqua468: Thank you! IB was rough thank goodness I graduated.**


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